The Long Way Home
by ohemgeeitscoley
Summary: Oliver is more famous for his womanizing ways than his band Green Arrow is for making music. Felicity agrees to help out a friend by going on tour with him to make a documentary on him.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This would be nothing more than a "please somebody write this" tag on a photoset if it weren't for thecoolcheryl . Between her cheer leading, beta-ing, and thought having, I owe her a lot. Let me know what you guys think!

Felicity sighed, looking around the club for Tommy Merlyn's face. She wasn't sure why they had to meet at a club to discuss his idea. It seemed a little informal, and if it wasn't for the fact that she trusted her brother, she would probably find it a little creepier. She wasn't much for the club scene to begin with, and she was positive she stood out like a sore thumb next to the more hardcore Green Arrow fans. The appeal of Oliver Queen's band was lost on her. Sure, some of his beginning work showed some promise, she might even still have his first CD somewhere in a box leftover from college, but he fame had gone to his head, at least that's what it looked like as an outsider. Four arrests, multiple lawsuits, countless woman hanging off of him in pictures, all in less than five years. She could never figure out how he and Tommy could be best friends. Granted, she only knew Tommy through her brother, but she liked to think that she knew him well enough to know that he was a pretty decent guy.

Felicity felt a hand on her elbow. She immediately pulled her arm away from the person, turning around to look at him. Her eyes grew a little taking him in. He was tall, dark, and handsome, and his arms were quite large. She was really hoping he was with security and just wanted to check her ID. "May I help you," she asked, crossing her arms across her stomach.

"Are you Felicity Smoak?" The man smiled at her, and she felt her stomach ease up.

"No." Felicity scrunched her eyebrows, why would security know her name.

"I'm Oliver Queen's bodyguard. Tommy sent me out here to get you."

Felicity tilted her head; that explained the arms. "Say I am Felicity, where would you be taking me?"

The man laughed. "Right over there," he replied, pointing to the table Tommy was at.

"Well then, yes, I am Felicity Smoak."

"John Diggle."

"Nice to meet you Mr. Diggle. I don't need you to escort me over there though, I think I can make it."

"As you wish."

Felicity smiled at John, before making her way over to Tommy.

"Tommy." Felicity smiled as he stood up, pulling her into a hug. "It's good to see you."

"Thanks for coming out. I know I didn't give you much notice."

"Of course." Felicity slid into the seat across from him. "So what's this all about?"

"I have had a project floating around my head for a couple of months. I remembered Mike saying you were a film major. When I asked him what you were up to and explained the project he said you were working out here and that he thought you would love this opportunity."

Felicity bit the bottom corner of her lip. "I'm a production assistant, Tommy, I'm not really seeing what kind of project I could help you with. I'm not very musical."

"I remember some very well written poetry actually."

Felicity blushed. "Is there anything my brother didn't share with you about me?"

Tommy laughed. "He's proud of you."

"You going to explain this project to me?"

"I want you to make a documentary about Oliver Queen."

"A documentary?"

"Yes."

"How long are you guys going to be in Starling?"

"Tonight."

"I don't know what Mike told you Tommy, but I can't get enough footage for a commercial in that amount of time. Definitely not enough for a documentary."

"Let me be more specific. I want you to come with us and make a documentary."

"You want me to spend the next what six or eight months on a tour bus with Oliver Queen?"

"Yes."

"Tommy. I don't—I don't know what you know about my work, but I haven't actually shot a lot of stuff. I mean I've done some small stuff, but what you want, I'm sure you could find someone much more suited for the job."

"I don't agree. The stuff that Mike sent me showed promise, and I don't want this to be some big budget, corporate feeling documentary. I want it to feel real, to feel intimate. I want the viewer to get to know the real Oliver. And I may not know you very well, but Mike talked about you all the time. If you are half the girl he thinks you are, you are the person I need for this."

"That's flattering. It really is, Tommy." She paused, not quite sure how to phrase her thoughts. "It's just… well, you say you want the world to get to know Oliver, but I think what you want is for this documentary to show that he isn't who he appears to be in tabloids. I'm not convinced of that, and I will not paint him in a positive light if that isn't what is real."

Tommy smiled. "And that is exactly why I want you. You're right. I want this to be a way to help Oliver show everyone that there is more to him than they think, because I think that there is. I could be wrong though and I'm just too close to him to see it." Tommy looked down at the drink in his hand, tilting it slowly back and forth. "I've known Oliver my whole life, he's my best friend. I want to believe that the guy I grew up with isn't who is in the tabloids."

"You're his manager, Tommy. I mean, that question shouldn't be that hard for you to answer. You're with him every day."

Tommy sighed. "I think the persona you know, and I'm guessing aren't a fan of, is one that was created to sell records. I don't believe that it's really who he is, I think it's who he was suggested to become. I think it's easier to be that person."

"You're doing an awful lot of defending."

"I am." Tommy sighed. "So why don't you just agree already and you can make up your own mind."

"This is crazy. I don't even have the type of equipment that would be needed to do this."

"You have a video camera?"

"Yes."

"That sounds like all you need."

Felicity tilted her head. "You weren't kidding about the intimate feel, were you?"

"I want it to be real. So many things surrounding Oliver are bigger than life, even before all of this. He's the son of a billionaire, he has always been seen as a larger than life figure. I want to take that away."

"How did you convince him to go along with this?"

Tommy didn't say anything, he simply lifted the glass in his to his lips, finishing it off. Felicity laughed, shaking her head. "You haven't have you," she asked.

"He won't put up much of a fight."

"I really doubt that."

"Don't worry about him. If you're in, I can take care of him."

Felicity closed her eyes. "What about my job? I can't just go off for over half a year without some sort of notice. I might need them as a reference when this goes south."

"It's a risk. I won't lie to you about that. But what's life without a little risk?"

Felicity shook her head slightly, he had a point. She had been working as a PA for three years, and while she knew that the film industry was set in stone on its idea of paying dues, three years as a glorified intern was getting tiresome. This was an opportunity to make something, something that had a built-in fan base. It would open doors, and Tommy wasn't asking her to lie, or to skew the outcome in any way. It was a solid deal. If life were a movie, this would be the big moment. The one that would make or break her character, open doors or slam them in her face. There were risks, but he was right. If she didn't take this opportunity, she would still be a PA tomorrow. If she did, she would be the one in charge.

"What time do we leave?" Her voice betrayed the hesitation she felt, coming across strong and confident.

"Six hours."

Felicity opened her eyes to glare at Tommy as he smiled at her. "Six hours? I don't even know if I can pack in six hours."

"You don't need much. There isn't really a lot of room. Some clothes, the stuff you'll need for the video. We can grab anything else on the road later on."

"Not all of us are kids of billionaires Tommy."

"Consider it a perk."

"I'm regretting this decision already," she mumbled as she stood up. "I guess I'll see you in six hours."

"Thank you."

Tommy watched as she walked away from the booth, shaking her head every couple of seconds. He heard Oliver's voice come across the room, followed by the rampant sound of screaming. He rubbed small circles into his temples. The near constant headache he had been suffering from was getting old. He cringed when he heard Oliver's voice go across the speakers. He could hear the slur. It wasn't strong enough that someone not listening for it would notice, or if he was being honest, someone whose only experience with Oliver had been recent, but it was there and it shouldn't have been.

Oliver needed a wake-up call. Tommy wasn't sure if Felicity's documentary was going to be enough, but it was the only plan that he could come up with that didn't involve friends and family gathered around in circles for an intervention. Oliver didn't have a lot of friends, not real ones anyway, and his family had been waiting for him to mess his life up since he first told his dad that he wasn't going to college and take over as CEO of Queen Industries, that he wanted to make music instead. Tommy didn't want to be the one to let them win. Besides, Oliver wasn't known for accepting what other people thought would be best for him. He always needed to figure things out for himself.

Tommy stood up and started walking toward the exit. He only had a few hours of quiet left. The show would be over soon enough and then he would have to explain all of this to Oliver. A nap and some medicine were definitely going to be needed if he was going to have that conversation with any success. He weaved through the crowd with ease, thankful that the sound from inside was fairly muted when the door closed.

He made his way over to the bus, smiling at the driver before going inside and heading straight for his bunk. He grabbed the headache medicine he kept beside the bed and counted out the correct number of pills, swallowing them without water. He pushed all thoughts of Oliver and the soon to be had conversation out of his head and drifted off to sleep.

Tommy was surprised when he left his bunk to see Oliver sitting on one of the couches watching TV. He hadn't changed out of his stage outfit, so Tommy wasn't sure how long he had actually been on the bus, but he was thankful that he wasn't in a loud or angry mood.

"Everyone else passed out?" Tommy asked, sitting down across from Oliver.

"Digg went out to grab some food before we hit the road, the rest have their own bus for a reason: I don't care."

Tommy sighed, ignoring the comment. He didn't need this conversation to start with an argument. "How long until we leave?"

"About an hour."

Tommy nodded repeatedly, a nervous tick he wasn't all that aware off. He wasn't sure how to bring the subject up without Oliver immediately dismissing it. He was regretting sleeping when he should have been writing up proposals or charts. Not that Oliver would look at them, or even find them useful, but it would make him feel better.

"Spit it out, Merlyn."

Tommy's lips tugged up slightly. "You're not going to like it, but as your manager I'm not really going to let you not try it."

Oliver raised his eyebrow. "You want me to stop by my parents while I'm in town?"

"As your best friend, I recommend you see you parents more often. As your manager, I need you to work on your public image."

Oliver rolled his eyes, grabbing the remote from his side to turn the television off. "We've been over this. There is nothing wrong with my image."

"If I were to Google you right now, do you know what the five top things are pop up?"

"How to get abs like Oliver Queen—"

"I would be happy with that, Oliver. That would be an improvement."

"I thought the rocker bad boy was the goal."

"It was for the managers before me, and maybe it even worked at first. But Ollie, you are going to crash. And when you do you are going to lose everything. You need to cut back on the drinking, stop going out and getting into fights. Keep the bad boy image if you like it, but lose the attitude. You're a musician, you're supposed to be known for your music, not your behavior."

"I don't know what you want, Tommy. I'm a rock star. Rock stars aren't exactly known for their quite life style of staying home and knitting."

"I'm not planning on giving you a lobotomy, Oliver. I just want you to be open to having your fans see the real you."

"They do see the real me, and they will continue to see the real me every single night for the rest of this tour."

"Do you really think that this… this is really you?"

"Is this the part where you tell me you know me better than I know myself?"

"This is the part where I'm praying that I do." Tommy sighed, bringing his fingers up to the side of his head slowly starting to rub circles against it. "I'm not going to argue with you, Oliver. You aren't going to believe me, that's fine. It's why I'm hoping you'll see figure it yourself."

Oliver scoffed. "Yeah? How are you going to do that?"

Tommy was about to answer when the door to the bus opened and John and Felicity walked in.

"No girls on the bus, Digg. You know that." Oliver's response is flippant and almost aggressive. Tommy closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. That wasn't exactly how he wanted Felicity's first interaction with Oliver to go.

"Ollie, meet Felicity Smoak. She's going to be filming a documentary of you."

Felicity raised her hand slightly, before awkwardly putting it back down to her side. Oliver wasn't sure whether he should start yelling or laughing, because there was no way Tommy was serious. He hadn't paid Felicity much attention when she first walked in, but he knew Tommy had to be kidding with this. She wore her blonde hair in a ponytail, the glasses she wore were awkwardly shaped for her face, her lips were stained a too bright shade of pink. She looked like she should be teaching kindergarten with her pink cardigan and shapeless pants, not traveling with a musician. He almost wanted to laugh as he brought his eyes back to Tommy, instead cursing under his breath when he realized Tommy wasn't joking.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me, man." Oliver raised his eyebrow, looking over at Felicity as she passed the strap of her duffel bag between her hands. There was no way that girl was going to be able to last more than a week on the bus.

"The world needs to see the real you. And what better way than through a video?"

"Then let's post some videos on Facebook. We don't need some wannabe groupie trying to use some probably overhyped skill to tag along."

"Excuse me?" Felicity's voice came out sharp and icy.

Oliver ignored her, continuing on with his conversation with Tommy as if she hadn't spoken. "I mean, she's kind of cute, but surely you could have grabbed someone a little hotter."

"Felicity is the sister of one of my fraternity brothers. She will be filming you for the foreseeable future. I recommend apologizing to her. She has complete freedom over what she puts on film. I would actually recommend kissing her ass." Tommy turned his head to look at Felicity. "You were a little earlier than I expected. Your bunk is the third one down. I'm going to go lie down. You two… get to know each other."

Tommy stood up, he heard John following behind him. "You sure about this," John asked quietly as Tommy got into his bunk.

"I'm not, but something has to get through to him."

John didn't say anything, he simply nodded before heading down to his area.

Felicity closed her eyes, slowly breathing in and out. She wasn't quite sure what she had been expecting Oliver's reaction to be, because it's not as if she actually knew anything about him, but him automatically assuming she was a groupie trying to make her way to him was not it. She looked down the middle of the bus to watch Tommy close the curtain surrounding the bunk. She hadn't really thought of the logistics of living on a bus. That small little area would be the only sort of privacy she would have. Judging by Oliver's first comment, she would be the only girl on the bus. She wasn't sure if it was just going to be the four of them, or if the rest of the band was also on this bus, either way she would have no privacy. Nowhere to really run off if she needed to get away, even with a curtain closing her out, she doubted she would be able to block all of the sound out. Big break or not, she wasn't sure this was the best idea.

"How do you guys shower?" Felicity cringed after her brain caught up to her mouth and she realized she voiced that thought out loud. She was surprised by Oliver's laughter.

"We stay in a hotel every couple of days. In between, you'd be surprised how well some soap and a bottle of water will tide you over."

"That's only slightly reassuring."

"You'll get used to it."

Felicity didn't say anything. Instead, she just stood, awkwardly staring at him, trying to make up her mind whether or not she was going to go through with this.

"Listen, I am not a groupie. I am not a fan. If I could even be considered a fan of anything of yours, it would be feeling sorry for whoever the hell has to run your PR team. I am here because it's a good move for my career. That's it."

Oliver sighed. "I didn't mean to offend you."

Felicity raised her eyebrow. "Okay," Oliver relented. "I did mean to. But seeing how we're going to be living in pretty tight quarters for a while, how about we start over? I'm Oliver Queen."

Oliver held his hand out. Felicity looked down between his face to his hand, trying hard not to bite her lip as she considered taking it. She did not need Oliver to have any insight into her thoughts, or her hesitations. A part of her wanted to turn around and walk out. Tommy would be able to find someone else. She could grovel at her boss's feet to give her back her job. She could stay where she was. But she told Tommy she would do it. In the end, she was only going to be here for a small portion of her life. She was not going to run away from an amazing opportunity just because the subject was a rude, self-obsessed rock star, who really needed to lay off the vodka.

So she smiled, taking the step forward and placing her hand in his. "Felicity."

Oliver leaned back into the couch, letting her hand drop. "So, when do you start filming?"

"A couple of days. If this is going to seem natural, we'll need to get used to being around each other. I don't want you faking things for the camera."

"You won't have to worry about that. I'm not good at faking anything."

"I really doubt that."

Oliver tilted his head. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Felicity shook her head, grabbing on to the edge of the seat as she felt the bus start to move. "I think I'm going to go make myself at home."

Oliver didn't say anything as he watched Felicity walk away. He wasn't lying to Tommy when he said she was cute. Tommy could hide behind the idea of him wanting the world to see who him for who he was, but Oliver knew this was Tommy's last ditch effort to try and save him, and he expected that girl and her video camera to do it. Maybe it was time Oliver showed Tommy who he was once and for all. Besides, he could think of a thing or two he wouldn't mind Felicity recording.

He listened from the couch as Felicity grunted and sighed, he was pretty sure she was trying to change in her bunk. He had to fight back the laughter as she walked back in front of him, pants unbuttoned, glasses off, and a very, very pissed off expression.

"Please tell me there is somewhere that I can change while standing up." Her eyes were closed, the words coming out in a rush.

"Right there works."

Felicity's eyes opened, glaring at him. "Are you serious?"

Oliver shrugged. "Trust me there's nothing under there that would surprise me."

"That's hardly the point. We've known each other for what, fifteen minutes? You could offer to leave the room. You don't need to be such an ass."

Oliver smirked. "Most girls find it charming."

"Guess I'm not most girls."

Oliver stood up, walking toward Felicity. "Your loss," he whispered, leaning in closer to her than necessary. He smiled at her glare and continued on toward the room at the back of the bus. He was pretty sure she was still glaring at him when he closed the door.

Felicity waited five minutes to make sure Oliver was serious about leaving the room before she slipped out of the jeans and into a pair of yoga pants. She made her way back to the bunk and slipped in. She closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of the bus traveling down the highway. She wasn't sure she would be able to get used to not having any privacy, not being able to shower, not being able to change without having to worry about someone walking in on her—but she wasn't going to give in. She saw that look Oliver gave her when he made her uncomfortable. He was doing this on purpose, and she would be damned if she let him win.


	2. Chapter 2

Felicity pushed up on to the tips of her toes for the fifth time. No matter how hard she tried, she wasn't quite tall enough to attach the small camera to the side of the cabinet. She lowered her feet until they were flat on the ground again, sighing. She knew it wasn't very likely that she was going to be able to miraculously attach the camera at the just right angle the first time anyway, but after spending the last five days on a bus with nothing but guys, she was finding that she was more likely to make an ass out of herself before even asking for help. She sat the camera down on the counter, looking around the bus to see if anything could be used to boost her height slightly. If she could stand on her toes on the object, she would only need a couple of more inches.

Another downside to a tour bus was that everything was firmly attached to where it was located, which she realized made sense in a logical way, but it really made things difficult for her. She picked the camera up from the counter before she climbed on to one of the seats, trying to find her balance on the arm rest. She smiled slightly as she leaned forward and managed to reach the part of the cabinet she wanted. She glanced down at the laptop that the camera was linked to, moving the camera around at different angles trying to find the best one. She wasn't sure how she managed to lose her balance exactly, or where Oliver came from, but the next thing she knew she was no longer balancing and before she could brace herself for the fall, Oliver's arms were wrapped around her and placing her on her feet.

Felicity ran her hand around slightly along his back before it clicked in her brain that she was rubbing Oliver Queen's back, his very shirtless back. She moved her hands away, using them instead to untangle his arms from her. She smiled, hoping she wasn't blushing. "Don't you ever wear a shirt," Felicity asked, cringing as soon as the words were out of her mouth.

Oliver raised his eyebrow. "I'll make sure to take the time to put on clothing the next time I'm saving your life."

"Saving my life," Felicity questioned, rolling her eyes. "It's like what eight inches from the ground? I think I would have survived."

"Are you always this bitchy in the morning?"

"Morning?" Felicity tilted her head, "Oliver it's three in the afternoon."

"Yeah, morning." Oliver's lips curled up. "Some of us do fun things at night."

"Some of us have real jobs."

"Says the girl who is attempting to hang up a video camera on a tour bus."

Felicity nodded, accepting his point. "Old habits I guess." She gave him a tight lipped smile before she placed her foot back on the chair, getting ready to try to hang the camera up again.

"You want some help," Oliver asked, placing one of his hands on her hip, trying to steady her.

Felicity's breath caught. She wasn't quite used to the Oliver Queen that sometimes existed in the morning. It was one of the first things she had noticed since she joined him; Oliver could be nice in the morning. It never lasted long, and it was only something that seemed to happen in a haze, almost as if he wasn't even aware that he was doing it. She wasn't exactly positive that it was a feature he was capable of later on in the day, but it was definitely not something she had seen.

"Hello? Earth to Felicity?"

Oliver's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. She smiled down at him before replying, "Yeah?"

"Do you want me to do that?"

"Oh, yeah, actually that would be great."

He moved his hand from her hip to her hand, helping her down. "Where do you want it," he asked, grabbing the camera from her other hand.

"Right around there," she said, pointing to the cabinet. "I'm not sure where exactly. I was going to try to move the camera around and just look and hope I could find a good angle."

Oliver laughed. "Very professional." He placed the camera where he thought she was holding it before she fell. "How about here?"

He watched as she looked at the laptop and began ordering him around: a little higher, a little to the left, a little lower, no wait a little higher. "Perfect," she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Oliver smiled slightly, securing the camera where it was.

"Just that one," he asked, wiping his hands across his jeans.

"No, I have a couple more already set up, that one was the only one that gave me so much trouble. Thanks for that."

"Yeah."

Felicity stared at him, waiting for him to say something. She still felt awkward around Oliver, never really knowing what his thoughts were or how he would react to something she said. Sometimes he was nice, someone she could actually see herself getting along with. Other times, he was the Oliver Queen that the tabloids loved: drunk, womanizing, and someone Felicity couldn't stand.

"Well, we're staying in the next city for a day or two, so that should give you some time to get this place all buggy."

Felicity rolled her eyes. "I don't think it's actually considered bugging if you know where the cameras are."

Oliver shrugged, he grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and a bottle of medicine out of one of the cupboards. He didn't look back at her as he walked back to his room. Felicity sighed, leaning against the table. She had to start figuring out what exactly she was going to do for this documentary. She had put off filming anything for a couple more days, telling Tommy that she needed more time to get Oliver comfortable around her. But the truth was, she had no idea what she was doing. She had no focus, no plot; she had nothing. She knew Tommy wanted a behind the scenes, but the truth was that behind the scenes Oliver was a drunk who spent all of his time on the bus locked away in his room. If Felicity was going to get anything for this documentary, she was going to have to find a way to get close to him. She wasn't sure how she was going to do that. She wasn't even sure she wanted to do that.

She turned her head and watched as Tommy started getting out of his bunk, he smiled when he saw her. "Almost there," he asked, stretching his arms out.

"Yeah, I think we have another hour or so."

"Awesome." He sat down on the seat behind the table she was leaned against. She pushed herself off the table to take the seat across from him.

"I don't know how you guys do this staying up all night thing," she started saying, "I've been up since 10. Do you have any idea how lonely a bus is for five hours when you are the only one awake?"

Tommy laughed. "You'll get used to the schedule." He picked up the deck of cards that was on the table, raising his eyebrows out her. She nodded and watched as he started pulling the cards out. "You start filming today, yeah?"

Felicity looked down, watching as the cards came to land in a pile in front of her. She picked them up, beginning to organize them. "Yeah. I think I'm going to start with some far away shots, stuff from the concerts, maybe him walking around or getting ready. I'm thinking about interviewing Laurel and Roy, probably you and Digg too. Maybe Barry too, get more of a new comer's opinion. Some background perceptive."

Tommy laid down two cards, grabbing two more from the pile. "You still haven't figured out your angle, have you?"

She knew it wasn't a very solid plan. Due to the separate bus, something she was pretty curious about, she really hadn't had a chance to get to know the other members. She'd had a few conversations with Laurel, the bassist, and she seemed nice enough. She did have the benefit of being a woman, which Felicity was positive she would end up desperate for some time with someone of the same sex eventually. Roy was someone she found, even with their limited talks that she could easily talk to. He was a great drummer, very passionate and full of energy. Barry was the brains behind the lights and the sound mixing. She had seen him around the shows and said hi once or twice, but she didn't know much of anything about him. Their conversations never lasted long enough to get a grasp of his personality, or to figure out how he fit into the group. She knew that Oliver grew up with Laurel, and that Roy had been dating Oliver's little sister when the band's first album came out. But Barry wasn't someone that got mentioned on a lot of the gossip sites, or on the Wikipedia page for Green Arrow; he was someone she was going to have to get to know personally for any sort of background.

Felicity sighed pushing the thoughts from her head and choosing to ignore his question for the moment focusing instead on her cards. She laid three cards down on the table before grabbing three from the pile. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to keep her face neutral. Her original hand was better. She looked up at him, he was trying to bite back his smile; he definitely had the upper hand. She sighed, placing the cards down on the table. "I'm terrible at this game."

"Card game skills are yet another life benefit you will gain on this tour." Tommy raised his eyebrows as he placed his cards down, clapping slightly as he looked over his win. "You'll also probably get better at changing the subject to avoid questions you don't want to answer."

Felicity rolled her eyes. "Doubtful." She grabbed the cards and began shuffling them. "Different game maybe? Go Fish? I bet I could kick your ass at Go Fish."

Tommy placed his hands behind his head, leaning back slightly. "What's your angle?"

Felicity placed the cards down. "It's been, what, almost a week, Tommy? I still have no idea who Oliver is as a person. The closest I've come to witnessing a version of Oliver that I couldn't have pulled out of a tabloid is occasionally for five or ten minutes in the morning when he is a somewhat decent guy. I don't want to waste my time making a documentary that can be told through pictures, but he won't let me get near him. I have a feeling that's a thing he does."

"Seems like you are figuring him out."

Felicity huffed. "Yeah, I think it might take being trapped in a room with him for a few days to actually figure him out." She rolled her head to the side. "I don't know. I'll interview you guys, see who you think he is, who he was. Maybe it'll help trigger something."

Tommy nodded. "Yeah. Maybe." He grabbed the cards from her. "You might have to explain the rules to me. It's been awhile since I've played a game meant for toddlers."

Felicity laughed. "Yeah. Okay. I think I can do that."

After a few hands of Go Fish, Oliver and Diggle both joined them. Felicity smiled at John as she scooted over to the next seat so he could sit down. She watched as Tommy mimicked her movements for Oliver.

"You guys are really playing Go Fish?" Oliver asked, raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

Felicity laughed. "Oh, not only are we playing it. I am kicking Tommy's ass."

Tommy lowered her head. "It's like she is psychic man."

"I told you I had mad skills," Felicity waggled her eyebrows at Tommy, smiling over at Oliver. "Want to join?"

Oliver rolled his eyes, huffing out a breath. "We were supposed to be there 20 minutes ago," he said, ignoring Felicity's question.

Felicity looked at him confused, he was just as capable as they were of looking out of one of the bus's windows to see that they were in traffic. She raised her eyebrow at Tommy before replying, "Did no one ever explain to you the rules of traffic?"

Oliver glared at her. "I see your social skills rank about as high as your choice in card games."

Felicity scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, my social skills are definitely the ones in need of some work," Felicity muttered pointedly. She wasn't sure how Oliver managed to go from a decent human to complete jerk in a little over an hour, but she wasn't about to get into it with him.

She glanced down at her cards, before grabbing the ones in front of Tommy to put away. "Thanks for letting me kick your ass," She said smiling. She stood up, scooting behind John. "I'm going to go attempt change my clothes in my bed. We're staying in a hotel tonight, yeah?"

Tommy nodded. "A warm shower, you'll be amazed at how much more you'll appreciate it."

Felicity laughed. "Trust me. After a week of bathing with water bottles, I think I might appreciate a cold shower." She cringed slightly at her choice of words, but mostly at the way Oliver's lips ticked upward slightly. "Yeah, I'm just going to go now."

She could hear the three of them laughing until she placed her headphones in her ears, effectively drowning them out. She glanced down at her duffel bag, groaning at the options she was left with. She wasn't actually sure anything in the bag was anywhere near remotely clean. Tommy promised that they wouldn't go this long without an overnight stay somewhere again, but Felicity was still planning on grabbing some to-go cleaners.

She looked out of the tiny window, smiling hopefully at the sun. She had quickly learned that while the end of September might still be shorts and flip-flop weather in Starling, it definitely was more of a jeans and sweater time of the year in cities further north. She grabbed a sweatshirt that was at the bottom of the bag, pulling it on as the bus slowly rolled to a stop. She gathered the small amount of things she had scattered around the bed, throwing them into the bag before she spotted the notebook that had her list of interview questions for the band written in it under her pillow. She picked it up and stared at it as she lay back down against the mattress. It only had four questions written down, not nearly enough for her unplanned, but hopefully going to happen, interview, but she wasn't too worried about actually convincing any of them to agree to it. They had all in some sort of way hinted that at the very list they were expecting it. Still, she didn't want to step on their toes, and she could tell that Oliver was a sore subject for them.

She wasn't sure how any of this really worked. She wasn't a huge fan of the band before the tour, but she had no idea how bad things were between everyone off stage. Laurel, Roy, and Barry didn't make any sort of contact with Oliver unless it was necessary. Hell, they were on a separate bus. There was a story there, maybe not one that could ever be included in this documentary, but she was certain that it was one that might help her crack away at Oliver's façade, even just a little bit.

She wasn't sure that the questions in her hand were going to do her any good. She didn't want them to feel like they were being interviewed, she wasn't a talk show host. She was there to make a movie, to show the world the real Oliver Queen, whoever in the hell that might be. She sighed, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. She was just going to have to wing the questions, maybe even the whole thing.

She didn't hear the sound of Tommy pulling the bunk's divider back over the music in her ears, but she did feel him staring at her. She smiled at him, pulling at the earphones with one hand as she used the other to grab the key card that he was holding out to her.

"You have no idea how happy I am with the idea of a night's sleep without listening to you snore Merlyn," Felicity said with a smile.

Tommy held his hand up to his heart, faking pain. "You wound me," he laughed. "If you find that you need the snoring to fall asleep, and I've heard worse excuses. I'll be right down the hall."

Felicity rolled her eyes. "You so need to get out more. That was horrible flirting," Felicity smiled at him. "Besides, I totally recorded it for future blackmail."

Tommy laughed. "Is it really that bad?"

"Maybe," Felicity shrugged. "Maybe not. Guess you'll never know."

"There are two other people on this bus you know."

Felicity raised her eyebrow. "But can you really trust them?"

Tommy shook his head. "I probably don't want to use them lying to me about snoring as the test. You need help getting your stuff inside?"

"I've got it. I didn't bring much."

Tommy nodded and Felicity smiled at him as he walked away. She grabbed the bag that was at the edge of the bed before heading off the bus. She pulled the sleeves of her sweatshirt down, glad that she threw it on as she walked over to the other side of the bus where John was already unloading his stuff. She spotted her larger bag behind the one he was pulling out.

"Want me to grab that," Digg asked, as he sat the bag down.

"If you wouldn't mind."

"Sure." He pulled her bag out, handing it to her.

"Thanks."

"Anytime." He smiled at her briefly before he walked away. Felicity shifted the weight of the smaller bag slightly as she started walking in the same direction, not paying attention as she went around the bus and almost running into Roy.

"Whoa there blondie," Roy exclaimed, reaching out to help steady her. "You know, I thought those glasses were supposed to help you see."

Felicity glared at him. "Haha."

Roy smiled. "Somebody seems a little testy."

Laurel walked over, shaking her head. "C'mon Roy, give the girl a break. She's stuck on the bus with Oliver. She has every right to be grumpy."

"And no shower for like a week," Felicity threw in.

"Nobody has got to shower in a week," Roy pointed out.

"True. But you only share your bus with Barry and Laurel who seriously still smells good, which isn't even fair by the way."

Laurel laughed. "We can trade secrets tonight."

"Tonight," Felicity asked.

"If you are up for it, we were planning on vegging out in one of the rooms."

"I'm totally up for it," Felicity smiled. "I'll even get pizza if it means I can bug you guys with some questions."

"If they have anything to do with Oliver, you might need to get wine as well."

Felicity grinned. "I thought that was a given."

"You had me at pizza," Roy added. "What about you Barry," he asked, raising his voice so Barry could hear him.

"What about me, what?" Barry asked, jogging over to stand next to Laurel.

"Felicity is exploiting our offer to veg as a way to get answers about Oliver."

Barry laughed at Roy. "Exploiting huh?"

"She is offering pizza and wine."

"I'm in if I get to pick the movie."

"No." Roy and Laurel answered at the same time.

Felicity raised her eyes, shooting Barry a questioning look.

Barry sighed. "I might have made some bad decisions in the past."

"Some," Laurel asked, laughing. "We had a bet going for three months on if you would succeed in picking a worse movie. Three months Barry."

Barry tilted his head, conceding. "Okay. Fine. I'll leave the movie choices to Felicity, I suppose she is the expert."

"Oh no. Don't let the fancy degree fool you. I have a sincere love for crappy movies."

"We'll be the judge of that," Laurel responded. "I'm in 401, meet up at like six?"

"Yeah, sounds good."


	3. Chapter 3

"You sure you guys don't mind," Felicity asked, fidgeting with the zoom on the camera to try to capture the entire space. She bit the bottom of her lip, as she moved back and forth before sighing and deciding that it would just have to work.

"We don't have a show tonight, I would say we have the time," Roy said. "Besides, you bought pizza. Not even a week in on this tour, and you have already figured out my weakness."

Felicity laughed, taking a seat across from him and next to Laurel. "Well, it sort of helps when the third sentence out of your mouth was about how you could be bribed with pizza."

Roy smiled, raising his eyebrows. "I like a girl that can listen."

Felicity rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Is Barry still coming?"

"Oh yeah," Roy answered. "Barry is never on time, ever. You get used to it. If you need him somewhere at a specific time, it's best to tell him to be at least half an hour early."

"Oh," Felicity replied, tucking the information away for future use.

"So how does this work," Laurel asked. "Do you just ask questions and we answer? Do we just start talking and wait for Oliver to come up naturally? Do we tell stories?"

Felicity shrugged. "That's completely up to you guys. Honestly, I'm not sure if any of this will make the final cut. I just need something to start with. If I were to only record Oliver, the film would be nothing but closed doors and him singing. I need to figure him out, and, well, you guys have known each other forever. I'm really just using you."

Laurel laughed. "You have a way with words, anyone ever tell you that?"

"All the time."

"Oliver's not giving you much?"

"A lot of attitude." Felicity sighed. "Honestly, I don't see much of him. He really is just locked away in that back room, and when I do see him he's sort of just a jerk. I've seen maybe a glimpse here and there of someone who isn't just an asshole. Tommy seems convinced that Oliver is more than that, and I want to see that, I mean I feel like I'm letting Tommy down, but… I just I'm not sure if it's really there."

Laurel nodded. "Tommy is pretty blind to the Oliver of today, but to be fair Oliver is different around Tommy. It's everybody else he could care less about."

"What makes Tommy such a special snowflake? You guys have all known each other for just about the same amount of time, right?"

"Well, Roy didn't come around until after Oliver and I broke up. He replaced our old drummer after the first album. He and Oliver got along decently at first, but then he walked in on Roy making out with his sister after one of the shows. So he's kind of been screwed since then."

"Lady speaks the truth. Thea and I have been together since she was eighteen, and trust me when I tell you, Oliver still isn't over it."

Felicity drug her bottom lip through her teeth as she pulled her legs up to her chest. "So he cares about his sister."

"They are really close," Laurel answered.

"What about you," Felicity started. "I mean, you guys were close."

"I met Oliver when I was eight. He and Tommy were already best friends. Tommy threw a marker at me during art. It hit me on the head and I just started bawling. I was new to the school, it was only like my second or third day there, and I just couldn't stop crying. Oliver made him apologize in front of everyone. Tommy was so angry at him; he just started stomping his feet and got all red in the face. But Oliver just stared at him and after about five agonizing minutes, Tommy apologized. He asked if I wanted to help them finish their painting. I sort of just ended up stuck with them after that."

"So he was a good kid?"

"Great kid. He was a great guy, honestly. Before all of this," Laurel waved her hand around the hotel room. "Before all of this Ollie was sort of wonderful."

"You guys dated right," Felicity asked cautiously, she wasn't trying to bring up bad memories for Laurel.

"We did." Raising her eyebrows, Laurel finished off the wine that was in her glass before continuing. "For a while actually. Most of high school and the beginning of being signed and making it. Before the drinking, womanizing version of Oliver became the one the public loved."

"And he was different before?"

"He has always been a bit of a selfish ass, but, yeah, he was different before. He was faithful. If you were someone he cared about he would defend you, stand by you… he cared about more than himself. He didn't drink as much, he wasn't as angry at the world… I mean, he was angry, but it was more focused. He shared his anger." Laurel shook her head, closing her eyes. "But now, Oliver doesn't care about anything but himself."

"With the exception of Tommy and Thea?"

Laurel lifted her eyebrow, smiling sadly. "Maybe it really is just me then."

Felicity didn't say anything as Laurel stood up and started walking over to wine. She glance up at Roy worried that she had gone too far. Roy shook his head, mouthing 'you're fine' to her.

"You want some," Laurel asked as she finished pouring her glass.

"Yeah," Felicity responded, more on autopilot than actual thought. "I'm not trying to make this awkward Laurel. If you don't want to talk about this I completely get it. We can stop recording, I'll stop asking questions, and we can just wait for the pizza and watch movies. You can share those how to smell good without showering tips."

Laurel laughed and handed Felicity her glass before sitting back down. "You're fine, really. I wouldn't answer anything I wasn't okay with. I guess… I just feel a lot of guilt over everything with Oliver. I was so angry with him for the longest time because of how he treated me. And then I was angry over who he keeps forcing himself to be. But I'm also angry at myself, I made it easy for him. I didn't stand up for myself when he first started cheating on me, I just sort of let it go. I figured it was just something I was going to have to get used to. That it was just what happened once your boyfriend supposedly becomes one of the ten hottest rock stars. Maybe if I had started with the freaking out and ultimatums at the beginning and not at the end, it would have played out differently. Maybe he wouldn't be in this mess."

"You aren't responsible for his actions."

"I know that. But before we started dating, Ollie and I were really good friends. I know things between us could never go back to the way things were, and, honestly, I wouldn't want them to, but I miss him. I miss my friend, and sometimes I can still see who he used to be, and a part of me wants to cling to that. So I guess, I get where Tommy is coming from, why he can't let go of him."

"I wish I knew who that was. I catch glimpses every now and then, where I feel like maybe there is more to him than what meets the eye. But just as fast as I catch that moment, it feels like he works twice as hard to follow it up with him being an ass," Felicity paused, swirling the wine in her glass. "I'm not sure how to get there either. He isn't exactly forthcoming with information. He keeps me at a distance."

"You'll get there."

"You seem pretty sure of that."

"I may not know you very well yet, but I know Oliver and I know Tommy. You'll get through to him. You might need patience levels that would rival a god, but you'll get there."

Felicity smiled at Laurel as she got up to turn off the video camera. "That seems like enough of the heavy stuff. The pizza should be here—"

Felicity's sentence was cut off by the phone ringing. "Now apparently," she finished as Laurel answered the phone, telling the front desk to send the delivery person up.

"How is it even possible that the pizza got here before Barry?"

Shaking his head, Roy laughed. "We weren't kidding about him being late."

"I sent him a text a couple minutes ago," Laurel started as she made her way over to them. "He should be up here soon."

"So Roy, no good memories of Oliver from you?"

"No, I have a ton of decent memories of the guy. None have been directed at me necessarily, but he really loves Thea. He tries for her."

"Favorite one?"

"Maybe six months ago? It was right before Christmas, I went with Thea to her family's place in some rich skiing city and—"

Roy's sentence was cut off by someone knocking on the door. "Five bucks its pizza, not Barry."

Laurel pushed her lips out in thought before responding, "You're on."

Felicity shook her head at the two of them as she answered the door. She smiled at Barry who was holding up the pizza with a small smile on his face. "Sorry I'm late. Oliver didn't like anything about the lighting. I kept trying to tell him that it would be a completely different set up tomorrow, and that I couldn't do anything about the lights tonight… but you guys know Oliver." He walked past Felicity, placing the pizza next to the wine. "I saw the pizza guy on the way up, figured I'd save you guys from the risk of him recognizing you. I know it doesn't happen often, but he was talking about the concert tonight, and well, you never know." His eyebrows drew together as he looked over at Roy and Laurel, who were staring at each other. "What's going on with them," he asked, glancing over at Felicity.

"I think they are trying to figure out who won the bet."

"Oh, me or the pizza guy? They have got to stop betting. It's still early on in the tour, so I'm guessing it was a low bet. But trust me, by the end of this thing it will be inches of hair and bridge jumping. No one benefits from it."

"That's not true," Laurel said, not moving her eyes from Roy. "There was the time that Roy lost and had to sing karaoke when that opening band got sick on the last tour. That was great for everyone."

"Not for me." Roy grimaced, as he shook his head. "In fact, I'm not sure that was good for anyone other than you."

"Thea seemed to think it was hilarious."

"That's because I'm dating someone who gets great joy out of seeing me uncomfortable."

"And what does that say about you?"

Roy raised his eyebrow. "You really wanna go down that path princess?"

Laurel groaned. "Don't call me that. We need a bet breaker. I don't like tied bets."

"Or you could both just give me five bucks and call it a day," Felicity chimed in, leaning back against the counter as she watched the two of them argue.

Roy and Laurel both laughed. "Not how this works, Felicity." Roy threw her a quick smile. "Twenty bucks says Oliver will slur at least half of the words during tonight's show."

Laurel snorted as she shook her head no. "I don't make bets I know I'm going to lose. Twenty bucks says Diggle will have to break up no more than three fights."

"At least five." Roy held out his hand for Laurel to grab on to.

"You're on." They shook their hands down three times before dropping them.

"That was… sort of terrifying." Felicity whispered to Barry, who only laughed as he opened up the pizza.

"Just wait. I'm not kidding, their wagers get outrageous."

"Sounds exciting."

"If you need a good side story for your documentary, I'd go with them."

Felicity laughed as she turned around grabbing a piece of pizza. "If you two are done, you might want to grab some food before Barry and I eat it all."

"What were you guys talking about before I got here," Barry asked as he and Felicity moved over to the couch while Roy and Laurel moved toward the food.

"Oliver," Laurel answered as he grabbed a plate. "Favorite memories, stories, why he's such an ass now. You know, things to help Felicity out."

Barry groaned. "I know your documentary is on him, but can we talk about anything else. I'm surprised Tommy hasn't called you guys yet. Oliver was a nightmare down there."

Laurel grimaced as her phone went off. "Seriously, Barry? You know better than to throw that curse around." She sighed as she picked up the phone. "Yeah. Yep. On our way." She placed her phone back on the counter, rolling her head to the side. "The show isn't even until tomorrow. Why is he doing this already?"

"The venue has a bar. I think it might be the closest one to the hotel."

"Ah," Laurel raised her hand in a mock party hooray movement. "Makes perfect sense now."

Roy shoved the last bite of his pizza into his mouth. "C'mon, grab some of that fancy video stuff, you're about to see Oliver Queen in his prime diva stage. Pre-show."

"You all have fun. I've already spent two hours with him. I'm not going back."

Laurel shook her head, smiling sweetly at Barry. "Nice try. You jinxed us. You have to come."

"That's not—"

"Rules are rules."

"There's rules," Felicity asked as she grabbed the small hand-held camera from the stand. "Can I get a copy of these rules?"

"You'll pick them up," Laurel said promisingly. "Come on, let's go see how bad this really is."

By the time they made it to the venue, it was a little past nine and the club part of the place was in full swing. Felicity looked down at her outfit, grimacing at the plain top and jeans she had thrown on. She smiled back at Laurel who bumped her shoulder slightly, smiling at her reassuringly.

They made their way further into the club, each looking out for signs of Tommy or Oliver. The music was loud, bodies were moving against each other on the dance floor, and drinks seemed to be coming from every direction; Felicity felt slightly intoxicated from just being in the same area. She glanced over at Roy shrugging her shoulders as they continued walking toward the bar. Laurel pulled down on her hand, nodding toward a corner of the place that Tommy was leaning on.

Tommy flashed them a brief smile as they walked up to him. "I wasn't expecting the whole Scooby gang when I called."

"You call one, you get 'em all," Laurel started as she shrugged. "It's a rule."

"You in on these rules," Tommy asked Felicity.

"I hear I'll pick up on them."

"Good." Tommy nodded. "He found a girl to do body shots off of. So, he's calmed down a bit. He's over there." Tommy pointed toward the front of the room, where Oliver's face was hidden by dark hair as his tongue licked salt off of the girl's neck.

Felicity pulled out her camera, setting it up before looking over at Tommy as he sighed. "Problem?"

"Is that really necessary?"

"You said you wanted a documentary about the real Oliver Queen, Tommy. So far, that guy," Felicity pointed to Oliver, "is the only Oliver Queen I've seen. I'm working with what I've got, okay?"

Tommy closed his eyes. "Yeah, okay. I might need a drink."

Felicity tilted her head apologetically as he walked toward the bar. She turned the camera on, working on the zoom when she heard a new voice.

"Don't mind him. You're definitely going to want to record what's about to happen."

Felicity turned around, catching a brief glimpse of the girl before all she saw was Roy covering the girl.

"Thea," Laurel mouthed from the side. Felicity nodded in understanding as Roy pulled away, his arm still wrapped around her side.

"I'm Felicity." She held her hand out for the girl.

The girl took her hand, shaking it. "Thea. That," Thea began, dropping Felicity's hand and pointing to her brother. "is disgusting. No sister should have to see her brother doing that."

"To be fair," Barry interrupted, "he has no idea you are here. It's also friendlier than the screaming match he was having with the manager when I left."

"That's not… that's not helping." Thea dropped her head on his Roy's shoulder, closing her eyes. "Alright. I'm on this."

"Make sure that camera is on," Roy said with a smile. "there's nothing quite like watching Thea chew Oliver's ass out."

Felicity raised her eyebrow, pressing the record button. "It's too loud in here to get audio."

Laurel laughed. "You won't need it. Trust me."

Felicity watched as Thea tapped her fingers against her brother's shoulder, one hand on her hip. Oliver's face went from being knotted in annoyance to one of shock in a matter of seconds as his brain processed who was standing there. The brown haired girl threw Thea a death glare, and while none of them could hear what she had said, Felicity imagined it wasn't exactly the nicest thing as the girl took off without another word.

Tommy walked back over to them, staring at where Thea was talking to Oliver. "Who called in back-up?"

"She's taking the year off from school," Roy answered. "She wants to tag along for the tour."

Tommy raised his eyebrow. "That's going to go over well."

"She's nineteen. It's her choice. He doesn't have much ground to get all judgmental about this stuff."

"He's got a point," Laurel noted.

"Still not going to like it." Tommy shook his head. "Might be good to have her around though."

"They are walking back over here," Felicity pointed out.

"You are not staying in the same bus as Roy," Oliver's tone was adamant, as he stopped moving to stand next to Tommy. "Back me up," he asked Tommy as he crossed his arms.

"Staying out of this one; Thea can sleep wherever she wants. However, Felicity probably wouldn't mind the company."

Felicity tilted her head as she nodded, agreeing with Tommy.

Thea smiled at her understandingly before she turned her gaze back to her brother. "Fine. I'll stay on the bus with you guys. But I'm staying for the tour, Ollie. The whole damn thing. There will be no dropping me off at school, or calling mom and dad, or any other attempt to get me to go home."

"Thea—"

"No. I'm staying."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I'm sorry this is a little late. School has been a killer this quarter, and I just haven't had as much time to write. I really appreciate all of the reviews/favorites/follows from you guys! I hope you like the chapter!

Felicity ran her hand along the nightstand next to the bed, trying to find her glasses. Rolling over she squinted her eyes barely able to read the bright red numbers on the clock: 3:17. The knocking on her door seemed to be getting louder and more desperate as she finally found her glasses. She slid them up her nose as she slid her legs out of bed. She made the quick few steps to the door before pulling it open.

"Oliver," she asked, raising her eyebrow. "What are you doing-" Felicity paused, closing her eyes as soon as the smell of him hit her. "Oh God. You smell."

Oliver laughed, stumbling forward as he barged into Felicity's room. "I think I missed the trash can," he started, "but I think it's only on my shirt." He glanced down at the piece of clothing before pulling it off and tossing it out the door, "There," he smiled at Felicity, "all better right?"

The silence that followed was awkward, Felicity's eyes went back and forth from the shirt in the hallway to a half-naked Oliver who was walking toward her bed. "What are you doing here? And where are your pants?"

"I lost the keys to my room."

Closing her eyes, Felicity took a deep breath before responding. "And my room just happened to be the room number you remembered?"

Shrugging, Oliver flopped down onto the bed. "I didn't think Laurel would answer, Thea wasn't in her room, which means she's in Roy's room, and I didn't think anyone would want me to go into that situation willingly."

"What about Tommy?"

"I don't want to let Tommy down again. So, that left you."

Running her hand through her hair, Felicity shut the door choosing to ignore the shirt that was out there. "You could just go to the front desk and get your room key."

"Your room was closer."

"You need to take a shower. I think I have a pair of sweats that might sort of fit you."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"You are literally in your boxers Oliver. That doesn't even count as clothing."

Turning his head to face her, Oliver's lips turned up into a smile. "Just evening out the playing field Felicity."

Heat flooded Felicity's face as she looked down and focused on the fact that she was only wearing a sweatshirt over her underwear. "Oh God," she muttered as she walked around the bed to grab her pants, pulling them on. "Now, I'm going to go get you another room key. You are going to get in the shower. I'll leave the sweat pants out for you. You will put these on Oliver, or I swear I will lock you out of this room with you naked. Do you understand?"

"You're bossy," Oliver muttered as he sat up. "I like it. People always give me what I want, or get sick of me."

"Yeah, well, my job is to figure out the real you, and I don't think I have yet. You're kind of stuck with me Queen, I don't give up easily."

"I'm sure I'll find a way. It's my second best talent."

Felicity's heart clenched at the dejected tone of Oliver's voice. "Maybe I'll surprise you. I might be just a little bit stubborn."

"That your way of telling me that you're sticking around for a while?"

"That's my way of telling you to shower before I decide leaving you outside was a good idea."

Shaking his head, Oliver laughed as he made his way into the bathroom. Felicity sighed as she waited for the water to start running before she started looking around the room for something to put Oliver's shirt in. Pressing her fingers into the side of her temple, she grabbed one of the laundry bags from the closet glancing over the instructions before looking around for a pen to fill in the information.

Opening the door she grabbed the shirt, curling her nose as she tossed it into the bag and tying it. She shut the door as she dropped the bag down and started heading toward the elevator. She pressed the down button repeatedly waiting for the door to open. She stepped into the elevator, pressing the button for the main floor. She leaned her head back against the wall and as she tried to figure out what she was going to say to the person behind the front desk. Felicity heard the doors open as she closed her eyes at the realization that there was no way the person was going to give her the key to Oliver Queen's room.

She made her way across the lobby, smiling at the middle-aged man behind the counter.

"What can I help you with," The man asked as he looked up from the computer.

"I'm staying in room 307, and I'm sure you can look this up to verify it, but I'm here with Oliver Queen and all of his… well his, people? Anyway, he locked himself out of his room and he's currently taking a shower in mine, but I would like this to not be a sleep over awkward morning type thing, you know? Which means I need you to give me a key to his room."

The man stared at Felicity, shaking his head. "That is the worst story I've heard all night lady."

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's true."

"Right. And I'm the Easter bunny. Get out of here."

"Sir-"

"Look, either leave right now and maybe try your luck at finding him walking around somewhere, or I'm calling security and they will escort you from the hotel. Your choice."

Felicity pursed her lips together. "Yeah. My choice." She sighed holding her hands up as she walked back to the elevator. She pressed two fingers against the side of her head as she waited for the elevator to come down. She bit the bottom of her lip as she walked into the elevator. The ride back to her room seemed to take twice as long. She smiled at the person who followed her into the elevator, remaining silent until the elevator reached her floor.

She stood outside of the hotel room door, rolling her head as she tried to decide what she wanted to do. She knew she could try to get Tommy to wake up and deal with this. She also knew that she currently felt more than capable of handling him. She might even be able to use this as a way to start some sort of friendship with him; a way into his head. Assuming he wasn't already passed out on the floor.

Felicity opened the door to her room, laughing almost immediately at the sight of Oliver laying on her bed on his stomach, her bright pink sweatpants stopping inches above his ankles. He rolled his head over to the side, narrowing his eyes.

"No luck getting your room key." Felicity shrugged as she walked over to her bed, pulling the blanket down on her side before climbing in. She leaned her head back against the headboard before continuing. "Apparently, I'm not the first girl who claimed you were locked out of your room and that you couldn't come down to the lobby because you were taking a shower. We need to work on our story if this is going to become a regular thing."

"You can just stop answering your door if this becomes a regular thing."

"Eh," Felicity tilted her head. "If I stop answering the door, I'll end up on missing out on the good stuff. Well, that's how I think about life anyway. Pretty applicable here, if you ask me."

Oliver laughed, groaning as he rolled over to lie on his back. "Bit optimistic."

"A little optimism never hurts."

"Seems like a good way to get your hopes up."

"You think that's a bad thing?"

"High hopes… good way to be let down."

"Let downs happen. Life isn't perfect Oliver, I don't expect it to be. But I don't expect it to always fail me either."

"I don't get the risk."

"It makes it worth it. I mean, if you never fail, I don't think succeeding is as worthwhile. The failure makes victory sweeter. Being let down hurts, sure, but when things finally go right… that's worth it."

"I don't know about that. I think I'm enjoying my success just as well as I would have if I had failed a few times before."

Felicity didn't even try to hide the sound of her snorting as she shook her head. "Seriously? You showed up outside of my room shirtless because you threw up on your own shirt. You locked yourself out of your hotel room. You are wearing pink sweatpants that are about six inches too short for you that say juicy across your ass. I don't know if I'd call this a great example of cherishing success."

Oliver looked over at her, his eyes widening in surprise. "You don't really hold back do you?"

"One of my quirks."

"You got a lot of those?"

"One or two."

"Thanks for…all of this," Oliver's voice dropped as he yawned in between words.

Felicity looked over at him, watching as his eyes drooped and his breathing evened out. She closed her eyes, wondering how in the hell she was going to deal with any of this in the morning. She sat her glasses down on the table before moving her body further down on the bed, resting her head on a pillow instead of the headboard. She glanced over at Oliver's sleeping body one more time before rolling away from him and falling asleep.

Felicity groaned as she woke up, stretching her arms above her head. Her eyes shot up as her hand landed on something very skin like. She looked over at Oliver, grimacing as she remembered the events of the night before. She bit the bottom of her lip as she reached over to grab her glasses. She had expected to experience a lot of weird things when she agreed to Tommy's plan, but waking up with Oliver Queen's arm wrapped around her waist was not one of them.

She moved her hands down to his arm, trying to lift it off of her. Oliver muttered something under his breath as he pulled himself closer to her side. "Fuck," Felicity muttered as she closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she tried to push aside the idea that Oliver looked pretty damn good on her pillow. She could think about that later, when he wasn't in her bed and she was less likely to make a very bad decision based on hormones and really nice abs.

"Oliver," she whispered, using her hand to push his shoulder slightly. "Oliver, seriously, roll over."

Oliver grumbled as buried his head further in the pillow before he rolled over, releasing Felicity from his grasp. Hopping out of the bed, Felicity walked straight for the bathroom, shutting the door behind her quickly. Splashing water on her face, Felicity glanced up at her reflection as she grabbed a towel to dry her face off. She placed her hands on the counter, leaning forward on them as she tried to brush the thoughts of how waking up next to Oliver felt. She was not going to be another girl that crushed on Oliver Queen just because he smelled nice and looked pretty decent in green leather.

Opening the door to the bathroom, she stepped out walking over to a table to grab her phone and purse when she heard Oliver say her name. She turned around to look at him, her lips curving slightly as she saw the edge of her sweatpants as he stretched into a sitting position. "Morning."

"You leaving," he asked, his voice deep with sleep.

"Yeah. They stop serving breakfast in an hour."

"You could just get back in bed."

"Why would I do that?"

"I don't remember much of last night, but I figured you must of have been decent if I'm still in bed."

Felicity raised her eyebrows, her mouth opening slightly as she stared at him. "You actually I think I slept with you?"

"Why else would I be here?"

"Because you locked yourself out of your room last night."

"And I came here?"

"You were pretty convinced I was the only one that would answer the door."

"Right." Oliver rolled his eyes. "Most girls don't hop on the denial train so quickly."

Felicity held her hands up in defeat. "Believe whatever the hell you want. But you showed up here drunk last night. You took a shower. You passed out after thanking me. Your shirt should probably be dropped off shortly, I had them clean it. You can keep the sweatpants." She dropped her hands, as she grabbed her things before walking out the door.

Taking a deep breath, she leaned her head back against the door. She wasn't sure if she was angrier at the idea of Oliver thinking that she slept with him last night or at herself for getting into the situation to begin with. Her phone dinged in her hand, lighting up to show a message from Laurel telling her to avoid the waffles and oranges at breakfast and asking where she was. Pushing off of the door, she walked the familiar steps to the elevator, her eyes fixed on her phone as she finished replying to Laurel that she was on her way down.

"You look like hell, Smoak," Felicity glanced up to see Tommy walking toward her, smile plastered on his face.

Felicity glared at him as he came to a stop in front of her. "Might have something to do with your best friend, who is in my room wearing my clothes because he puked all over his last night after he apparently locked himself out of his room. He didn't want to bother you, so I was the lucky winner. He has himself convinced that we hooked up last night and that I'm just in denial about it. So, why don't you go deal with that mess," Felicity pointed her finger toward her room. "I'm going to get a bagel."

Tommy sighed as he glanced at the door. "Did he really—"

"Not talking about it," Felicity interrupted Tommy, pressing her finger against the elevator button. "Bagel, remember?"

"A bagel is all you need to get over this situation?"

"A bagel is what I need to provide me enough energy to go to the venue and figure out a wiring and video plan for tonight. I'm going to need to see Oliver's ego deflated about a hundred times to get over that." Felicity sighed, rolling her eyes as she stepped into the elevator. "Or actually, consider me over it. Who actually gives a fuck what Oliver Queen thinks anyway."

Tommy placed his hands behind his head as the elevator door closed, interlocking his fingers as he pushed back on his heels. Closing his eyes briefly, he made his way down the hall to Felicity's room. He drummed his fingers against the door. "C'mon. Oliver. It's Tommy. Open up."

Running his hands over his eyes, he listened to the sounds of Oliver making his way to the door. He couldn't stop the laugh that escaped him when Oliver opened the door shirtless and wearing bright pink sweatpants. Oliver glared at him, moving to the side for Tommy to walk in.

"I think I might have pissed Felicity off," Oliver said with a shrug as he shut the door.

"You think," Tommy asked, rolling his eyes. "You accused her of sleeping with you."

"You say that like it's a bad thing. Most girls want to sleep with me."

"The fact that you actually believe that is disgusting, man."

"It's the truth."

"No, the truth is that you are a dick who needs to do some serious apologizing."

"She didn't deny it."

Tommy felt the all too familiar headache start to settle over his brain as he leaned back against the wall. "She shouldn't have to deny anything, Oliver. Were you seriously so wasted last night that you don't remember coming here?"

"I sort of remember maybe throwing up in the hallway. Everything else after that is sort of a blur. I mean, what was I supposed to think? I was half naked and cuddling with her when I woke up."

"That maybe you had a shot of making a friend on this tour who wasn't me?"

"Might have screwed that one up."

"She's a pretty forgiving person. Maybe if you talk to her as yourself and not as some egotistical rock star and apologize she'll give you another chance."

"What makes you think I want one?"

"I don't think you want one; I think you need one. There's a big difference there."

"If I say I'll try will you go get my room key so I don't have to walk downstairs wearing this?"

"Nope. You're a big boy. You own those sweatpants."

"And I'm the ass in this friendship?"

"You're just the bigger ass."

Oliver laughed, shaking his head. "Thanks. Guess I better go head down."

Tommy nodded his head absently, watching as Oliver opened the door. "Wait."

Oliver turned around looking at him expectantly, shutting the door slowly. "What's up?"

"I think maybe it's time you cut back on the drinking."

Oliver's eyes widened, his nostrils flaring out slightly. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not saying you have a problem. But… man you don't even remember what happened last night. How many nights are like that? I'm guessing more than one. Your sister saw you doing body shots off some random chick. You have been charged with assault three times in the last year for getting in fights."

"It sure sounds like you are saying I have a problem."

"Maybe you do. That's for you to figure out. But as your manager I'm telling you, you can't keep this up. The majority of the reviews for this tour so far at the very least mention how different you sound; how it doesn't seem like you know the words to your own songs. And I know you do. I know how much those songs mean to you, Oliver. I know what this means to you. I'm just asking you to… take step a back. At least a little bit."

Oliver stared at Tommy, not saying a word. His eyes hardened, his mouth opening slightly before forming a thin line across his face. Tommy sighed as he watched him turn around, leaving the room without saying another word.


End file.
